America Eyes Canada: Real Estate Bargains amid a Weak Canadian Dollar

The new trend of Canadians feeling fed up with the current state of our country and deciding life would be better, and less expensive, in the United States is well documented. With rent and home prices, along with the general cost of living costing much more than average people can handle, it is easy to see why people would want to flee to a place like the US if cost of living is a major concern. Even those who loved the freedoms and opportunities once unique to Canada (but fast disappearing) are taking advantage of the balance the US offers by purchasing a secondary property, like a summer home, in the US. On the other hand, it feels much less common for Americans to leave affordability behind, however, that may be changing. Today, let’s talk about what Americans are doing and whether or not we can expect more of our southern neighbors to look for investment bargains north of the border.

We often hear of Americans proclaim their intentions to move to Canada when it comes to certain election results. Celebrities offer bold, if not empty, promises to leave the place and the people that helped make them rich. Recently, a participant in the January 6th, 2021 riots on Capitol Hill sought asylum in Canada to avoid prison time. Despite being convicted, he was allowed entry into Canada and now enjoys himself in Whistler, BC. CTV reports that he moved to Canada after feeling politically persecuted by the Biden regime. While these incidents make interesting headlines, the reality is that they make up a tiny minority of those that would consider a move. Most American are thoughtful and pragmatic, as well as savvy investors. Those looking north are more likely seeking value as opposed to refuge.

In terms of dollar value, are Americans getting a good deal by buying real estate in Canada? The Canadian dollar has just registered its sixth weekly decline versus the American dollar. As of January 2025, the Canadian dollar is worth about 0.69 US dollars. The current exchange rate is 1.449 Canadian dollars per 1 US dollar. This means that American homebuyers can get more value for their dollar compared to previous exchange rate periods or compared to historical house prices in the US.

Something else to note is how generally poor Canadians are as compared to Americans, on average. Canada’s GDP per capita is among the poorest of the richer countries. Canada’s GDP per capita is also on a decline, at $46,035 USD, and it is ranked 19th on the list of developed countries. This looks quite sad compared to the United States, which currently has a GDP per capita of $89,680. What this means is that the average American has much more disposable income than the average Canadian. (The average Canadian wage is equal to that in Mississippi, one of America’s poorest states.) The average American, therefore, is in a better personal financial position to be buying either primary or secondary properties in Canada than the average Canadian, many of whom are struggling to buy houses of their own.

Currently, the foreign buyers ban places a prohibition on non-Canadians from buying property in Canada as a way to put Canadian homebuyers first. There are exceptions to this, which include international students, temporary residents on workers visas, and recreational properties like cottages or vacation homes. This means Americans can still capitalize on the deal they’ll get on Canadian real estate despite the foreign buyers ban.

Overall, there is nothing stopping Americans from taking advantage of our situation by buying recreational properties, like a cottage or a city-getaway condo. Even if Canada resists becoming the 51st state, there seems to be very interesting opportunities for Americans to investigate in Canada.